Introductions & Framing Our Discussions Canadian SEM Summit May 5, 2014 Windsor, Ontario
Planning Committee Ray Darling, University of Waterloo Darren Francis, University of the Fraser Valley Jody Gordon, University of the Fraser Valley Susan Gottheil, University of Manitoba Maria Lucido- Bezeley, Sheridan College Karen McCredie, Capilano University Clayton Smith, University of Windsor
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#SEMCanada2014
Volunteers
Special Thanks...
Facilitators
Our Numbers 83 attending the Summit and 51attended the pre-conference workshop 11 institutions have brought a team of 2 or more The largest teams are from:
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University of Windsor – 20 University of Manitoba – 4 Humber College – 4 Sheridan College - 4
Roles Represented ◦ Academic Deans /Associate Deans/Faculty Members ◦ Student Affairs/Student Life/Dean of Students ◦ Registrar/Enrolment Services/Recruitment ◦ Institutional Analysis ◦ Teaching & Learning Centres ◦ First Generation Student Programs ◦ Aboriginal Programs ◦ Student Governments/First Generation Students ◦ Pathways Programs/School Boards
We are from...
Representatives from all provinces ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦
Ontario – 61 British Columbia – 8 Manitoba- 4 Alberta – 2 PEI – 1 Newfoundland – 1 Nova Scotia – 1 Saskatchewan- 1 Quebec – 1 New Brunswick - 1
One representative from the US
Let’s Meet Each Other
Our Style No vendors Facilitators; not presenters No silos here Its all about conversation and learning from each other
“First Generation”: Is There a Definition?
Literature reviews show that the definition changes depending on the author and the concept’s usage
What definition should we use for our SEM Summit discussions?
Are there sub-sets within this group – and can their experiences be generalized? 12
Why Should We Focus on First Generation Students?
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Why Focus on FG Students?
Parental education is one of the strongest indicators of whether or not youth pursue PSE*
◦ Students with at least one university-educated parent are 40% more likely to attend university than those who have a high school education or less (Zhao, 2012) ◦ Throughout Canada having no family history of college or university is a significantly greater obstacle to higher education than family income (Finnie, Childs & Wismer, 2011; Zhao 2012)
*NOTE: Parental education and Aboriginal identity represent the two largest negative effects on PSE participation (Norrie & Zhao, 2011) 14
Why Focus on FG Students? FG university students have higher leaving rates and lower graduation rates These patterns are in contrast to FG college leaving rates where no such gaps exist FG immigrants have higher leaving rates than non-immigrants and much lower graduation rates
◦ Yet FG immigrants access PSE, especially university, at considerably higher rates than nonimmigrants
Aboriginal students have the highest leaving rates than any group
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Results from the US-based Baccalaureate & Beyond Longitudinal Study First Generation status is a significant predictor of GPA controlling for an extensive array of background and intervening variables. Results suggest that first-generation status significantly explains differences in cumulative GPA, accounting for nearly 22% (p < .001) of GPA variance. -Strayhorn (2006)
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BUT...
Lumping all FG Students together is a blunt policy tool. - Finnie, Childs & Qiu, 2012
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Questions & Comments
